The Apollo Project
by Awen-Meara
Summary: 491N1 whimpered in her cage. Everything was happening at once, she couldn't make sense of it all. Only one thing stuck out in the whirling swirling visions and sounds. Him. He was young and old, he was time with no memory... and he was coming.
1. Chapter 1

The snowy forest was quiet as the grave. Nothing moved except for the snow falling. Moon beams slanted through the bare branches of the birch trees. A figure broke the stillness, floundering through waist deep icy snow and the willow branches. It was breathing heavily and struggling violently to untangle her hair from low hanging birch branches. As she tarred herself free she stumbled and fell face first into the snow. She was too tired to get up and lay there naked in the snow. She was extremely thin, her hip, rib bones, and shoulder blades were sharp protrusions, creating valleys and hollows on her body where there shouldn't be. Her skin was so pale as to be indistinguishable from the snow, but for its translucency showing the blue wed of her veins. Everything about her was pale, her long hair was nearly white and gleamed silver in the moon. Her eyes were a pale green for the moment as she shook and chattered not only with the cold. Her eyes were unseeing but focused; her ears were straining for a sound that hadn't happened yet. They were coming. Not the monsters, although they were searching for her too, no that was not who she sensed coming, the iron shield, the men in the metal bird, the-rain-bringer, the-metal-man, the-girl-that-wasn't, and _him_. She couldn't describe him he was old and young, he was time, and he was no-memory. She snapped out of her trance only to realize that she was nearly surrounded. 'No!' She was so close, they were so close to finding her, she had to get them to find her, it was supposed to happen. She gathered her strength and stood with her eyes flashing silver. She stood and looked _ahead_ seeing what was yet to be. She blocked the first hit from the guard with the needle, grabbed his gun, and ran towards where they were searching, towards where _he_ was waiting. The goblin men were fallowing, they were gaining ground and taking shots at her which she dodged. She ran her eyes unseeing as she used her gift to keep from being put to sleep. 'So close' she thought when she wasn't fast enough to avoid the dart. She stumbled and screamed out hoping that _they_ would hear her, she fought the goblin men as she fought the oncoming blackness. The last thing she saw was _him_. She smiled "You're in trouble now" she told the goblin men.


	2. Chapter 2

All in all it was a normal day for the X-men. Frost had felt a ripple through Cerebro and sent them to check it out. Logan growled they were in the middle of nowhere in Alaska of all places; nothing was going to be out here. They had been searching for an hour and had found exactly what he said they were nothing. He snorted to himself, it was just him Storm, Petor and Kitty, and even _if_ something was out here they would never find it. Frost had no idea what she was doing. Then he heard something, shots in the distance and men yelling. The others hadn't heard it but thanks to his feral senses he could. He signaled the others and began to sprint in the directions the noises were coming from; the wind carried a scent that he nearly gaged on. The scent of pain, fear, decay, and unwashed human wafted its way into his nostrils. As he got closer he realized it was a group of men and a girl, most of the pain and gear came from her, he redoubled his efforts when he heard a scream. He arrived ahead of the others just in time to see her turn towards him and smile, like she had expected him.

"You're in trouble now" she whispered and went limp, eyes rolling into the back of her skull.

With a roar he launched himself towards her slashing the man who had been trying to retrieve her body in the throat. He separated her from them with a wall of death while his teammates caught up. He waited until Kitty had knelt down beside the girl before joining the fight. The men didn't have a chance carrying only tranq guns. After the first few were down the rest broke and ran, Logan was tempted to fallow but he remembered his team and let them go. Turning around claws still out and dripping blood he surveyed their new passenger. He thought at first that she was a small child but her sent wasn't right for that, she was just a very small woman. She would have stood about 5'2" and she was obviously underfed, he noted that she had been beaten recently. He took off his leather jacket, draped it over the girl, and lifted her up into his arms to carry her back to the jet. He felt strangely protective of this little slip of a girl, maybe it had been the way she smiled for him, like he was an old friend, like she knew him.

She awoke suddenly, but dared not show any outside signs of it, that meant pain and questions. 491N1 felt warm that was unusual, and she wasn't strapped down, that never happens. 491N1 was deemed dangerous, code black security, she was always restrained. She felt groggy 'it must have been another failed…' 491N1's thought stopped there as images flashed through her mind, she had escaped _they_ had found her, _he _had found her. She sat up recognizing the medical equipment from a memory that hadn't happened yet…or was it happening now? 491N1 couldn't tell. Her pale eyes flashed silver then settled again to green, as the door opened the-man-that-was-beast walked through and started to see her awake.

"You are up faster than I thought you would be I'm…"

"Hank McCoy" she cut him off her voice soft and bell toned "I know, we've met…or we will meet…or are we are meeting, I'm not sure which tense is which anymore. Have I only just arrived?" Hank stood speechless, "Did I only just get here?" she asked again

"Yes" he replied after gathering his wits a bit

"Oh, then I'm 491N1…wait… that isn't right" she began muttering to herself "491N1… I had, have, am going to have a name. Oh, what is it, was it, oh…." She was hardly paying attention to the Doctor anymore who was looking at her strangely

"Do you mean to say" he caught her attention "that you aren't sure of this is the future, past, or present?"

"Yes… although I think this is the present… I don't always see this clearly in the future and sometimes my voice sounds funny in the past…" he head snapped up suddenly to look at the Doctor "You have a question"

"Was my look of confusion that obvious?" Hank joked trying to get the strange girl to smile. When he saw that she only looked at him blankly he continued, "What is your mutation? You have the X-gene that's without question, but you have a represent in you system and I can't tell what it is you can do."

491N1's eyes flashed silver "Is there any way I can get something to eat?" she asked "They are all waiting in the kitchen and it will be easier to answer everyone's questions at once."

Beast was surprised, "Can you stand?" he asked

"Yes I think so" she replied "but you might want to watch the elevator."

Hank was mystified but helped her to her feet and let the strange comment go. They made it down the hall without incident but when they got into the elevator he tripped over the closing door and nearly fell to the floor.

"I told you to watch the elevator." She reminded him mildly.


	3. Chapter 3

When they entered the kitchen storm, Logan, Scott, Emma and Bobby were waiting for them talking about the new girl. As they entered Emma smiled but 491N1 held up her hand

"Hello Emma, please resist the urge to peak it's really not polite you know" Emma was confused

"Hello how did you do that are you…" suddenly Emma stopped talking and turned a sickly pale color, and clutched her head stumbling backwards. Everyone tensed for attack until Logan stepped in front of the girl unleashing his claws and growled,

"Stop it, you idiots can't you see she's scared" and she did indeed look scared, the pale girl had dropped to the floor and curled into a ball hands over her head as if she was expecting a blow, her eyes squeezed shut. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I told you not to look, I'm sorry, I'm sorry …."

Emma sat up, "Its ok I'm fine, you guys no harm done." As usual Storm was the voice of reason.

"Calm down everyone. I'm sure she'll explain, and Logan no one is going to jump the girl, you can put the knives away now." Logan huffed but his claws sheathed themselves in his hand and he backed down a bit, pulling a chair out for the girl.

"Thank you" she murmured putting a hand on his arm as she moved passed him to sit down. Wolverine nodded in reply and stood beside her leaning on the table

"Now that we're all comfortable darlin' why don't you tell us what's goin' on."

"I'm 491N1, at least as far as I can remember at the moment. I was a part of a project owned and operated by the SunStar Corporation. It is a privatized continuation of the Weapon X and Deadpool military operation." Several people gasped and shook their heads. 491N1 looked to Logan, he was tensed but nodded at her to continue, "When striker was forced to shut down the project in the face of a court martial, there was cleanup work to be done and several private corporations were very interested in the information and material involved in the project. SunStar got lucky not only were they able to retrieve most of the relevant research but they managed to bring out of the rubble the genetic material that was so essential to the project. SunStar bought 15 mutants and used them as test subjects all of them but 491N1 died due to mistreatment and complications due to the procedure" it was with a start that Logan noticed that she was speaking like a recorded history, like none of it had happened to her he also noticed her eyes were silver when he could have sworn that they had been green when she walked in.

"491N1 was lucky, they tried Weapon X DNA first, they were hoping for claws but 491N1 already had an active mutation and so she only retained the passive nature of the X-gene, so while nothing else took 491N1 was strong enough to survive…"

Storm interrupted her "What is your original power?"

"491N1's mutation is unique she has the ability to see the past and the future possibilities of every living thing she comes into contact with" Everyone around the table was shocked. "This ability makes 491N1 very valuable; if 491N1 was compliant the SunStar Corporation could use the Apollo project to run the world. The problem is this 491N1 won't comply. She knows that if she opens her mind the light will swallow her up. She won't be her anymore she will be reduced to a computer." The girl had hugged her knees up to her chest and was rocking back and forth slightly

"That's why she warned Emma not to look, a telepath looking into my mind won't be able to take it."

Beast cleared his throat "My dear" he said gently "If you have Logan's healing factor why are you still covered in bruises?"

491N1 smiled "She was starved, and a represent was put into her system, so when they beat her not only would she feel the initial pain but the lasting ache, not suppressed enough to let her die only the non-life threatening injuries won't heal." Logan growled and clenched his fists and the girl reached out and put her had on his arm

"Calm Wolverine-man, what is done is done; you have gotten your revenge already"

Storm gasped, "How did you…" the girl smiled and tapped her head with two fingers. Logan growled again but softer this time and relaxed a bit.

"How old are you child?" Storm asked 491N1 frowned, "She isn't sure, she was sold when she was 16 but she doesn't know how much time has passed, it seems like many years but time has little meaning to her." She smiled and her eyes took on a mischievous twinkle "but she is fairly certain that she is pasted the age where being called child is appropriate."

Bobby grinned, "I think you'll get along just fine here."

"Perhaps" Storm cut in, "you would like to stay? If you do we can give you a room if not we can give you money to start a life with and drop you off anywhere you would like. Although under the circumstances I think it would be best if you stayed here. Do you have anyone you wish us to contact for you?"

491N1 shook her head "No she has no parents nor any other family. She would like to stay here; she has no other place to go."

Storm's eyes softened "You are very welcome here. Logan?" she said turning to him "I know you dislike sharing the hall but do you mind having her in the room across from yours? We don't have any other place to put her without doubling up."

Logan nodded, "That's fine, she's so small I don't think she'll make much noise."

"Good" she turned back to the girl "Perhaps you would like to see your room and rest a bit, we can talk about the rest tomorrow morning."

The girl nodded "Yes thank you, she is rather tired and would very much like give herself time to get the represent out of her system and heal a bit before she moves around too much."

She looked up at Logan expectantly who pushed himself of the table and headed for the door, "Well come on little girl ain't got all day"


	4. Chapter 4

491N1 had to struggle to keep up with the Wolverine but did not ask him to slow down, after a few corridors he noticed her distress and slowed his pace.

"You have a question." The girl prompted him

Logan looked at her sharply "Yeah, maybe"

"Then ask it, if you want the answer" she smiled at him as though laughing at some private joke.

"You see the future and the past right? Can ya' see my past?" he asked

She sighed "Yes" she replied looking sad "She knows your past."

"You knew it 'afore ya' even saw me didn't you." It wasn't really a question, he knew the answer

"Yes" she said simply

"How?"

"She has some of your DNA inside. She and you are connected Kuwekuwatsu, She and you will always be connected."

"Kuwekuwatsu" he murmured, the word stirred something in him he almost felt like he could reach out and touch the memory but then it faded like smoke and he was himself again. The girl stood watching him knowingly with a sad look on her face.

"Do you remember it?" she asked

"No" he said gruffly. They had reached his hallway. It wasn't much of a hall way just a little passage that sported two doors and ended with a window that looked out over the lawn.

Logan walked over to one side of the passage "This is my room, the other one is yours. It's a bit sparse in there but you can talk ta' Ro tomorrow about gettin' yourself some stuff."

"Thank you" she said quietly as she opened the door "Good night" Logan shut the door without a word

491N1 loved her room, it was larger than her cell back at the facility, and it had a balcony and a large window right next to her bed that looked out over the forest. The bed was large and unimaginably soft after years of sleeping on a hard table, the girl sighed she was going to have to get used to that. She also was slightly puzzled by the other door in the room. Her back was to the door she had come in through so what could this other door be for? Timidly she opened it and poked her head in then she gasped delighted, she had her own bathroom. It was tiled in cream and sage green, much like her room. 491N1 smiled and closed the door softly then proceeded to fall upon her sage sheets and fall fast asleep. Later Logan checked in on her and chuckled, she was curled into a tiny twisted ball in the middle of her bed like a cat, completely asleep, food could wait until tomorrow.

491N1 woke with a start, and panicked looking at her surroundings until her memory came back to her then she smiled and made her way to her balcony she left the doors open behind her as she stepped into the early morning air. The sky was pre-dawn gray and still held twinkles of sleepy stars not quite ready to fade. The white lawn glistened with ice and the branches of the forest were frosted with white and shook and sighed with the light breeze that wove its way lazily around their trunks. The sky in the east became tinged with yellow and pink as the sun began to make its daily assent into the blue. 491N1 watched the sun rise and felt at peace, no visions tainted the crisp morning air, no sounds long past or yet to come spoiled her reprieve as she watched as the sun ushered in a glorious early spring morning. After the sun had rose 491N1 decided to get ready for the day. She showered though there was no soap or shampoo in the bathroom, combed her hair out with her fingers and dressed in yesterday's clothes. The girl peaked her head out around the door seeing no one in the hall she slunk to the end and risked a glance around the corner, once she was satisfied that the coast was clear she began to wander down the hall sticking to the wall and hoping she would be able to find the kitchen. After a small amount of wandering she found it, and mercifully, it was empty. She began to hum as she looked for something to eat and was slightly startled when she heard a voice behind her.

"You hungry kid?" she calmed as soon as she knew it was Logan

"Yes" she replied quietly

"Here" he said gruffly "I'll make somthin' for the both of us. I bet you don't even know how to use a stove."

"Oh, I hadn't thought about that" she pondered it for a moment "I think I remember how to use one, before I was sold I cooked a lot."

"If you remember that then how come you don't remember your name?" Logan asked not unkindly

"Oh I remember what they called me but that's not me anymore, and most of the time they called me girl or freak anyway."

Logan was surprised and angry "What do you mean? What was your name?"

"I was called Cassandra, but it wasn't used much. My power manifested really early you see and I was too young to try to hide them my parents knew and hated me for it, they were the ones that sold me to SunStar." She didn't sound very concerned and in truth she wasn't she knew their fate. Logan on the other hand was becoming angry he had come across some real shitty stories with the kids in the school but he had never encountered someone who had been sold like animal, but then he realized something,

"Hey you're talkin' normal today."

She blushed "Yes I believe that it has something to do with being able to hear others speak, it helps me remember… It might have also helped that I had a peaceful morning, no visions." She said tapping her head.

"Huh" was all Logan replied with "Eggs sound good to you darling'?"

"Yes please, anyway you make them is fine." She paused looking contemplative "I wonder what they'll taste like…"

Logan was a bit shocked "You've never had eggs before?"

"Oh no, I've had eggs before…. I just…" she blushed again, "I just can't remember what they taste like."

Logan just looked at her for a second "Ok darlin' we are definitely fixing that." He put the pan on the stove and cooked a whole carton, some scrambled, some over easy, some fried through, and one omelet with onions and peppers in it.

"Try everything and then what ya don't eat I will." He told her putting the plates in front of her. Dutifully she tried a bite of each then looking at Logan sideways she said,

"I don't think I like any of them…. Sorry" she was cringing away from him as though she was expecting to be punished for not liking them. Logan sighed,

"That's alright darlin' how 'bout some toast instead, you don't have to like eggs. Too much food right now won't be good for your stomach anyway."

491N1 smiled "Thank you" he made her some toast and then set to work on the eggs they ate breakfast in a comfortable silence when she was done she grabbed Logan's dishes and took them to the sink, as she began to wash them Logan took a really good look at her. 'She is so small.' He thought 'she looks like she couldn't be more then fifteen' she would have to talk to Storm about getting more clothes he decided the X-men sweats and tank top looked cold

"Hello Dr. McCoy" she said softly, Logan looked around and then smelled him coming up the hall 491N1 looked over as he came in,

"Oops I timed that wrong" she blushed and murmered "Too early again"

Beast smiled at her and said kindly "That's alright dear it happens to everyone", Logan laughed and Beast shot him a dirty look "I do believe that I have come up with a solution for your name problem, how dose Diana sound to you?"

The girl looked up "Diana, yes that's it, the numbers make the name 491N1"


	5. Chapter 5

That day the newly christened Diana went with Storm Marie and Kitty to the mall to get some supplies and clothes for her. Diana was a bit apprehensive about getting into the car; the only car ride she remembered was when she had been sold. After they managed to get her into the car however, she was fascinated with the scenery passing outside of the window and the music playing from the radio. Unfortunately things changed when they got to the mall, Diana had never been around so many people and had trouble controlling the flashes of visions. She managed to keep fairly quiet but people thought her flashing eyes were a bit disconcerting. She violently retracted from any physical contact and by the time they had finished getting her clothes she was paler than ever and shaking. They quickly grabbed shoes and bath products and got out of the mall. As soon as she got in the door of her room Diana collapsed and began to cry quietly. She had refused any help in putting her things away and locked her door insuring her privacy.

Logan shifted and sighed, he couldn't hear her but he could still smell her tears. They made him feel uncomfortable, like he should be doing something about them. He launched himself off his bed and began pacing around his room. What in the world could have happened at the mall to make her cry anyway? He finally couldn't take it anymore and ripped open his door strode across the hall and then hesitated before tapping gently on the wood in front of him.

"Hey, you okay in there little one?" he heard a few hasty sniffs before a weak voice called out,

"Yes I'm fine!"

Logan sighed "You want to open the door and tell me that to may face?" A few seconds past like she was considering it before he heard her call out,

"No"

He chuckled "Well do it anyway." He heard some shuffling and then the lock click. The door swung open, reveling her tearstained face.

"You gonna tell me what happened?" she ushered him inside her room and he frowned at how few bags she had. When the girls went shopping they normally came back with much more than that.

"She doesn't know how to explain, too many flashes, colors swirling and whirling sounds, people thronging and pressing breathing out filth and death and fear and life, so much pain and laughter all blending with twists and turns," she paused to take a breath "too much" she finished weakly. Logan looked at her, puzzled until it dawned on him what had happened.

"You get visions of anyone that you come in contact with, so if someone made eye contact or brushed against ya…" he trailed off when she whimpered "Crowds really do a number on ya don't they?"

"She had never been to a mall before, never did she know that so many paths twisted in them. She has decided that she does not like, how you call it… crowds." Logan sighed,

"So your back to that way o' talkin' are ya?" he asked shaking his head. Diana sniffed and nodded, "This one's head is fuddled, she still has pictures dancing inside her an' she doesn't know what she can do to make the music stop." She began to cry all over again and Logan hesitantly put an arm around her shoulders, surprised when she turned and nuzzled her head into his chest he ignored the warm feeling growing in his ribcage and shushed her softly.

"I'll make sure to tell Storm not ta' bring ya out inta' crowds again if she can help it." They both fell asleep like that, sitting on the floor by her bed his arm holding her tight to him and her curled up into his chest.

It was discovered that the teachers in the mansion had really nothing left to teach Diana as far as a normal education went, but they all pitched in to help her relearn how to live. Storm taught her how to take care of the garden the older students taught her how to work most of the electronics and introduced her to video games, Emma helped her to gain control over her powers, though it was slow going and she had only a tentative hold over the visions, everyone added their own cooking style to her fast growing box of recipes, and Logan took it upon himself to teach her how to defend herself. Diana made friends slowly at first but as the months progressed she found that she knew almost everyone in the mansion by name, but Logan was her favorite and she was most often found in his company. Logan wasn't bothered by this, in fact he enjoyed it, she didn't chat his ear off or scramble for things to say, she smelled nice, and he supposed that the fact he found her nice to look at didn't hurt either. One afternoon they were out on a walk and he asked her the question that had been bugging him for over a month.

"You know my past" he told her

"Yes" was her calm and simple answer

"Are you ever going to tell me about it?" he asked gruffly

Diana smiled sadly "I cannot tell you everything, sometimes one must find one's own answers, but I do think I could tell you a little."

The Wolverine growled "You speak riddles like some god dammed prophet, you know that!" he said angrily.

"But that is what I am Kuwekuwatsu" she laughed not intimidated by Logan at all

"Well…. are you going to tell me anything?" he asked after they had been walking in silence for a few minutes.

"Let's sit down." Diana pointed towards a birch tree and waited until they were both comfortably situated before speaking again "Why is the moon so lonely?" she asked

"What are you tal…." Logan was cut off by her waving her hand at him.

"Because she used to have a lover"

Logan interrupted again, "Oh yeah I bet you tell this to all the lit…." she shushed him again

"His name was Kuwekuwatsu and every night they would roam the skies together. But, one of the other spirits was jealous. Trickster, wanted the moon for himself so he told Kuwekuwatsu that the moon had asked for flowers. He told him to come to our world and pick her some wild roses, but what Kuwekuwatsu didn't know was that once you leave the spirit world… you can never return. So now every night he looks up at the moon and howls her name…. but he can never touch her again."

"Kookookachoo got screwed, but what does that have to do with me?"

"KuweKuwatsu" she corrected him sadly "It means, The Wolverine. Kayla told you this story just before you were made to think her dead, that's why it was on your tags"

"Kayla" Logan muttered and face came into view indistinct but he could remember long brown hair, soft touches and a low soothing voice. He remembered love then pain and betrayal,

"My moon" he said softly. Diana stayed very quiet but she wanted to cry she knew everything and couldn't tell him. He had to search for his past or abandon it on his own.

"She's' dead now isn't she." It wasn't a question, more a statement of fact

Diana sighed softly "Yes James Logan Howlett, she died on the island. Stryker killed her; does it make you feel better that you have already avenged her?"

Logan only grunted and Diana rested her hand on his shoulder

"I am sorry Logan, so very sorry."

Logan turned his brown eyes to her pale green ones "I'm alright I have already been missin' her just didn't know who she was. Ain't nothing I can do about it now is there, besides as much as I want to know who I am I got a life right here, an' I don't mind it so much." Logan watched as Diana nearly glowed as he told her he liked his current life and thought 'Looks like I have the real moon here anyway'


End file.
